Happy 40th Birthday to Me!

earworm: [*NSYNC – God Must Have Spent a Little More Time on You]

When I look back on my twenties and thirties, I realise much of that time was spent building foundations – learning, teaching, making mistakes, and developing skills that only make sense on hindsight.

Turning forty feels less like a milestone and more like a quiet transition.

This year feels especially meaningful for three reasons.

1.      My puppy is now 18 years and 2 months old.

I bought her when I was 22 years old, using the allowance I earned from my Ministry of Education (MOE) Teaching Internship while I was an undergraduate at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

This photo was taken by my sister on puppy’s first night with us. She was four months old then.

She is an Australia-born Japanese Spitz. The average lifespan of a Japanese Spitz is between 12 and 16 years.

Today, she is 18 years and 2 months old, and I have just turned 40.

In many ways, we have grown up together.

At the time she was just a tiny fluffball, and I had no idea that she would end up accompanying me through my entire young adult life – right up to now, which is almost half of my life so far.

That is why she has always been in my profile photo.

She has been there through my undergraduate and postgraduate years when I would write long assignments late into the night. She has been there through my entire career so far. She has been there through several relationship heartbreaks – and ultimately when I met my husband (that’s another story for another day).

After a few serious health scares over the past two years, every day with her now feels like a precious gift.

We love her very much, and I am sure she loves us back.

I found her wonderful veterinarian by chance in 2019, so she has been under the excellent medical care of Dr Fong since she was 11 years old.

I am fortunate that she still wants to be here.

She is still alert and recognises all of us.

During a recent vet visit, I asked Dr Fong whether puppy could still see and hear properly at her advanced age of 18 years.

Dr Fong smiled and replied,

“She can see you. She can also judge you. When she looks at me, her expression says, ‘Oh, it’s you again.’”

I burst out laughing.

2.     家和万事兴 — when the family is harmonious, everything else can flourish

I recently came across a Chinese saying:

家和万事兴 — when the family is harmonious, everything else can flourish.

I have always known that my immediate and extended families are close-knit.

Knowing that my family is always supportive – even if quietly – has given me the strong foundation to go out into the world and contribute meaningfully.

It has given me the confidence to explore new experiences that have shaped who I am today.

13      The next chapter of my career in my 40s

As I step into my forties, I find myself increasingly drawn toward work that helps others.

Over the years, I have worked across a wide range of education-related roles: teaching, lecturing, sports coaching, para-counselling, and examination moderation.

Each of these roles requires technical competencies.

However, what has always mattered most to me has been something else:

• the explaining and storytelling in teaching, lecturing, and sports coaching

• the listening in para-counselling

• the thoughtful exchange of professional perspectives during examination moderation

In other words — the human touch.

Perhaps that is what the next chapter of my career in my 40s will be about.

Inspiring and helping others.

For now, I am deeply grateful — for puppy, for family and friends, for good health, and for the quiet joy of everyday life.